Potomac River Report Aug 31, 2009

I haven't been out in over a month but decided Monday would be a good day with forcasted temps in the mid-70s. I launched from Leesylvania SP at 6:30 a.m. under gray skys and light wind. Water temp: 78 degrees. Caught 6 nice cutters with the gill net after a 5 minute soak and headed off to fish. I arrived at my favorite spot to find it completely covered in commercial gear...there was a bouy about every 10 feet apart...I was very concerned about getting one caught up in the prop. There wasn't any place to anchor safely without getting caught up in gear so I went to spot #2...same story...the place was covered in bouys. So, more than a little frustrated I headed to some deep holes only to find more bouys...this time spaced farther apart...some right in the shipping channel. I found a place between them and deployed two lines...there wasn't room for any more. Two hours and two pull downs later I had one 12 lber for my efforts. I'm not sure what kind of gear was under the bouys but, since they were in pairs, I assumed they were trot lines...but I hope I'm wrong.

With rain coming in spurts and the wind picking up I called it an early day and was off the water by 10:00 a.m.

I hope it was crabbers also!! We've been talking about going to the Potomac in a month or so, usally fish the Chic, James and sometimes the Rapp!! Those commercial fisherman should stay out in big water where there's plenty of room!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for the post Bomberman, I wondered where you Potomac river post had been!

I have never caught or even seen a crab that far up the Potomac. I could be wrong but I always thought the crab pots only had one bouy. These were two bouys seperated by 100 feet...each color coded identically...literally hundreds of them. I hope they were crab pots...I would feel much better about it.

Chuck, if they was bullet shaped markers, more then likely crab pots. This time of year the guys are setting crab pots all the way up to the Woodrow Wilsom Bridge, with the salinity levels up pretty good on the Lower Potomac. There is a guy that sets crab pots that comes out of Smallwood State Park. he brings in his catch and loads them up on small refrigerated trucks, I guess to market or where ever.

Although, about a mouth ago I caught a trotline up above Fort Washington with my anchor. 12 or 13 dead cats. Some big ones included. looked to be a couple in the 40# plus range. No markings on the gear, but it wasn't old. I'm guessing a day or so, the cats weren't really decayed a lot.

It's probably crab pots but nothing about commercial fisherman would surprise me. They will take every last fish and then whine about not having any work. It gets infested with crab pots down here, so thick you could walk across the river on them. Used to drive test boats for Volvo Penta and it would get pretty hairy. They will use everything from bouys to old tires, in the channel markers, under your personal dock it doesn't make a difference to them. God forbid if you're cruising the channel and they need to cross, they will run their busted a$$ hoopties right across your path and then tell Marine patrol you were harassing them. Sorry about the rant.:angry::angry::angry::angry::angry:

Chuck, if they was bullet shaped markers, more then likely crab pots. This time of year the guys are setting crab pots all the way up to the Woodrow Wilsom Bridge, with the salinity levels up pretty good on the Lower Potomac. There is a guy that sets crab pots that comes out of Smallwood State Park. he brings in his catch and loads them up on small refrigerated trucks, I guess to market or where ever.

Although, about a mouth ago I caught a trotline up above Fort Washington with my anchor. 12 or 13 dead cats. Some big ones included. looked to be a couple in the 40# plus range. No markings on the gear, but it wasn't old. I'm guessing a day or so, the cats weren't really decayed a lot.

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Thanks for that response. I'll assume they were crab pots for now. I've got nothing against commercial fishing as long as it's done responsibly. I have no grudge against anyone trying to make a dollar and feed his family. It's when greed takes over that I get my hackles up...it doesn't matter what industry (i.e. oil companies, credit card companies, timber companies, etc.). Soon the weather will cool off and the fishing will get better...I'll wait for that.

...Although, about a mouth ago I caught a trotline up above Fort Washington with my anchor. 12 or 13 dead cats. Some big ones included. looked to be a couple in the 40# plus range. No markings on the gear, but it wasn't old. I'm guessing a day or so, the cats weren't really decayed a lot.

Last year we were scooping up nice crabs in nets right at the first rapid above Interstate 95 in downtown Richmond. My brother and I set 4 traps and got a nice mess for supper. Some R-Tard on the bank with his son told me we should stop as crabs were almost extinct in the Bay. Whatever. what I do know is I didn't go to bed hungry that night.

Please keep an eye out, unfortunately, the buoy setup doesn't sound like crabbers. As far as crabs up river, I know the James gets them up to the fall line, and had been plenty crabs at Osborne, as of a couple weeks ago. I've even targeted Flounder at the deep hole by the Power Plant years ago.

Love to see some pics, next time anyone runs across this. Also an idea, of how far up river this is going on....

I know some of the com fishermen down there and they are just trying to make a living. Pretty sure they were crab pots as I snagged one in my anchor last year off the power plant. Pot was full of fat crabs. They fish them late summer till the crabs fall off all the way up to the WW bridge.